In a series of interviews, we will be previewing this year’s ACPGBI annual meeting in Dublin, 1-3 July. We talked to Mr Brendan Moran, President of the ACPGBI, who highlighted some of the key sessions, presentations and speakers, as well as encouraging those with an interest in coloproctology to attend the meeting.

“The focus this year is on education, training, research and innovation. Practical aspects and novel approaches in the subspecialty areas of Pelvic Floor, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal cancer are addressed,” he explained. “There are sessions on providing emergency surgical services and an important session on dealing with career adverse events such as returning to work after illness, trouble with the GMC, dealing with difficult colleagues and criminal allegations.”

As ever, the meeting will be representative of the multidisciplinary aspects of coloproctology and will be reflected in the overlap between topics for surgeons, nurses, patients and healthcare personnel accompanied by parallel sessions for Nurses and allied healthcare Professionals, a separate Patients programme and a strong focus on multidisciplinary research.

Trainees

“The meeting programme will include session for trainees. At this year’s meeting, The Dukes Club involvement will be the largest ever and includes the inaugural Dukes Lecture, which I have instigated, and which will be an annual event. This year the Dukes Lecture will be delivered by Professor Scott Steele from the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. Professor Steele is the instigator of “Behind The Knife” a surgical Podcast and he and his team plan an ACPGBI Meeting Podcast in Dublin. There is also a parallel trainee programme but also incorporation of trainees into the main podium sessions at all levels. In addition, there are three parallel short paper sessions on Wednesday, in addition to the Prize Paper session on Monday aiming to incorporate more podium presentations of the top submitted papers by our invaluable trainees, the future of our whole organisation.”

The meeting will also welcome several world renown keynote speakers including Professor Michael Solomon (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney), Professor Scott Steele (Cleveland Clinic, Ohio ), Professor Per Nilson (Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm and current President of the European Society of Coloproctology) and Professor Ronan O’Connell (St Vincent’s Hospital Dublin and current Vice- President, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland).

Keynote speakers

“We are delighted that our colleagues from around the world – all of whom are leaders in their fields and are outstanding speakers, educators, surgical scientists and innovators – will be speaking in Dublin. Professor Michael Solomon, a graduate of RCSI Dublin, will deliver the BJS Lecture on Decisional Conflict and Resolving Bias in Surgical research. Professor Ronan O’Connell will delve into the papers and publications that have changed practice in colorectal surgery in the annual BDRF Lecture. Professor Per Nillson delivers the Colorectal Disease Lecture on the fascinating, though still controversial, topic of complete response after radiotherapy for rectal cancer with a non-operative approach and managing regrowth of the primary. Per is the current President of our European Sister Organization, ESCP, who are very much partners in the ACPGBI Journal, Colorectal Disease which is in its 21st year since first publication. Last, but not least, Scott Steele has the honour of the Inaugural Dukes Lecture and will speak on ‘Training and being Trained’ and will incorporate some social media ideas and experiences from the podcast ‘Behind The Knife’.”

There will also be several new sessions at this year’s meeting including the first main session on the programme, which will feature aspects of emergency surgery with an increasing awareness by ACPGBI that forms a major part of most colorectal surgeons’ day to day practice. Colorectal surgeons are at the fore-front of optimal delivery of emergency care and ACPGBI embraces an increasing involvement in emergency surgery planning and delivery, Mr Moran added.

There will also be Intervening sessions focusing on a whole range of topics from early to advanced cancer, Faecal Immunohistochemical Testing, Pelvic Floor issues and Trainees, Nursing and Patient group programme. The final session addresses some of the worrying areas of practice including criminal allegations, problems with the GMC and medicolegal defence and returning to work after illness, issues that can affect any of us in a life-time in colorectal surgery.

ACPGBI

“The ACPGBI is the flagship organisation for surgeons who perform most of the emergency on-call in the British Isles, in addition to managing one of the commonest and most curable gastro-intestinal tract cancers. With a dynamic trainees and nursing groups and a growing patient group, ACPGBI is rapidly becoming a global leader in surgical research. Research, Innovation and Training will be the focus of much of the meeting aiming to inspire future generations of leaders and innovators in surgery.”

“Dublin is one of the exciting capital cities in the world with some of the leading pubs and restaurants where good Guinness is always flowing and has to be sampled in Dublin to truly appreciate the flavour. There is a drinks reception on Monday allowing delegates to mingle with friends and colleagues and arrange gatherings in the many city centre pubs and restaurants,” he concluded. “I would advise delegates to plan early – it’s easy to remember – July 1-3! Book flights and accommodation as soon as you can and take advantage of the early bird registration rates on the website. Come for the science but mainly for the fun. Unmissable and let’s make it the largest ACPGBI Meeting ever!”

Registration for the meeting is now open! To register for early bird discount - by Friday 26 April 2019 - please click here

To view the conference programme, please click here (log in is required)

Complimentary ACPN spaces

There are 50 complimentary spaces available to members of the Association of Coloproctology Nurses. For more information on becoming a member of ACPN, please click here

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